Method for monitoring the respect of well-being of live poultry intended for slaughter

ABSTRACT

A method for monitoring live poultry intended for slaughter includes checking managing parameters and process parameters of poultry flocks from breeding farms, and monitoring transportation of the flocks to a slaughterhouse and handling thereof at the slaughterhouse. Gas stunning parameters of the poultry are checked prior to throat-cutting thereof. Video shooting of the poultry&#39;s reactions during the stunning step is done to visually verify a degree of well-being thereof. Computer records are made available wherein a single video file corresponds to each poultry flock or group of flocks in which images of the visible reactions of the poultry are combined and synchronized with said managing and process parameters.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from Italian Patent Application No.TO2014A000071 filed on Jan. 30, 2014, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the monitoring of live poultry intendedfor slaughter in view of verifying thereof the state of well-beingbetween the breeding farm and throat-cutting at the slaughterhouse.

In the poultry world, and particularly in slaughterhouse establishments,systems to render the animals unconscious prior to throat-cutting areincreasingly becoming adopted, and are based on the transit withinenvironments with a modified atmosphere, having an increasedconcentration of CO₂, argon, nitrogen or others with reduced atmosphericpressure.

The European Directive EU 1099/2009 recently came into force, which laysdown precise rules on how animals for slaughter should be treated, incompliance with a better criterion of “animal well-being”.

In the section about poultry stunning systems with a modifiedatmosphere, it is required that monitoring is performed to verify thecorrect evolution of the stunning sequence.

The stunning procedure is essentially divided into two steps: beforereaching a 40% CO₂ concentration and above the 40% threshold.

Before reaching the 40% threshold, the animals must already beunconsciousness and possibly show only some signs of convulsion.

The veterinary services which assist slaughterhouses must therefore havethe opportunity to demonstrate compliance with the following:

-   1. Provision of a control service of the correct gas stunning steps    to allow minimizing animal suffering.-   2. Each animal is unconscious before crossing the threshold of 40%.-   3. Recording of the gas concentration data at various points was    performed with regularity and constancy.-   4. General trend of the concentrations throughout the entire    slaughter process.-   5. Traceability of the entire situation is available for 12 months.-   6. Ease of access to the consolidated data per consignment, as a    basis for having a functional traceability.

STATE OF THE ART

Systems that control and manage the mechanical movement of the poultry,and the gas supply at the stunning step, act according to constantmeasurements and settings entered by the operators. This logic isnormally managed by industrial PLCs, which carry out specific sequencesof instructions. The measured data are shown on an HMI screen that theoperator uses to determine which interventions to carry out: however,the recording capacities and availability of these data at the level ofmonitoring demonstration are fairly limited both regarding accessibilityto the data and regarding storage capacity of historical records.

The major limitation encountered is that of relating together managingparameters, for example:

-   Flock number-   Breeder name-   Breeding site-   Truck carrying out transportation-   Animal breed-   Animal age-   Number of animals per cage    with process parameters, for example:-   Flock starting and ending time-   Actual number of animals-   Dead animals during transportation-   Actual number of cages-   Actual flock weight    as well as with animal well-being parameters, for example:-   Setting values of the stunning system-   Readings of the gas concentrations in the different areas-   Setting values of the mechanical components of the stunning system-   Reactions of the animals during the gas stunning step.

This last data can only come from a human observation, in real-time,carried out with the aid of a video camera, possibly able to move duringthe various stunning steps.

However, this visual check, even if properly executed by an operator,remains as disconnected information from all other data that aredistributed throughout the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying FIGURE shows an example of a video file produced inaccordance with the method according to the invention, in which datarelating to the management and process parameters are superimposed on animage indicative of the reactions of the chickens.

THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide a complete andefficient method for systematically monitoring the well-being of livepoultry intended for slaughter, able to allow an immediate and easyconsultation of the acquired data, expanding the possibility of beingable to demonstrate compliance with the regulations.

According to the invention, this object is achieved thanks to amonitoring method, which envisages checking managing parameters andprocess parameters related to the identification of poultry flockscoming from breeding farms, to transportation thereof to theslaughterhouse and to handling thereof at the slaughterhouse, as well aschecking gas stunning parameters of the poultry prior to throat-cutting,and wherein video shooting of the chickens' reactions during thestunning step is also envisaged, so as to visually verify the degree ofwell-being thereof, characterized in that it consists of making computerrecords available wherein a single video file corresponds to eachpoultry flock or group of flocks, in which the images of the visiblereactions of the poultry are combined and synchronized with saidmanaging and process parameters.

The invention therefore consists of the creation of a single video filein which it is possible to observe the animals of a specific consignmentduring the crossing steps of the gas tunnel of the stunning apparatus,with constant visibility of all the setting parameters of the apparatusand the relative real-time readings related to the flock of animals ofwhich information is required. In this single video file, images of thevisible reactions of the animals are synchronized with the setting andoperation parameters, as well as with all the information that isrequired to irrefutably demonstrate that the prescribed monitoring wascarried out, and that the entire system is managed properly.

Combining and synchronizing the managing and process parameters with thevideo images do not occur simultaneously to the shooting butsubsequently, with the object of allowing the operator to first managethe production requirements, and then to run the video, to carry out anyadjustments and re-run the video and to also insert the management andprocess parameters at a later moment. At the end of the day, the systemcarries out, on command, the synchronization of images with there-checked and corrected management and process parameters, producing anew video with the management and process parameters superimposed on theimages of the animals' reactions. This edited video no longer allows anychanges.

To obtain this result, a protocol is used for communication between thevideo interface, the automation PLC(s) and an industrial processor (PC),which synchronizes all the various data and produces a video that shows,in a single synchronized document, the reactions of the animals inrelation to the monitoring of the surrounding environment. This videofile is automatically or manually stored in a computer file at eachchange of flock or consignment of animals, and can therefore be easilyconsulted and proposed as complete proof of the execution of thenecessary checks.

The documented control can be carried out automatically or manually, asrequired, even several times per flock if there is a consignment with aparticular difficulty.

The industrial PC uses a type of proprietary protocol, which creates achannel of continuous communication with the PLCs to which it isconnected, and continuously records all the activity of the PLCs atevery step.

The collection of data occurs at a rate, known as sampling frequency,variable in time according to the type of monitoring. This samplingfrequency may be predetermined by a time interval parameter, ordynamically, that is, determined by a recognition algorithm of aweighted percentage change of the data to be recorded.

The management parameters and process parameters include or are selectedfrom those listed above, as well as the parameters of well-being of theanimals.

When there is a request for execution of a synchronized video document,the sampling by the PLC is intensified and synchronized with the imagesthat are captured by the video camera in two possible ways:

-   -   video shooting in a fixed position viewing several        poultry-containing cages in succession, during the same stunning        step,    -   video shooting by tracking the same poultry-containing cage in        several stunning steps.

The management and consultation software of the monitoring methodaccording to the invention is stratified, and each layer is based on adifferent technology.

The predominant feature of this structure is the joining of“Linux-based” applications and “web-based” graphical interfaces. Thelatter, relatively new in the industry, enable the development of simpleand quick-to-use interfaces, graphically appealing while also ensuringthe possibility for equipping multiple existing PC workstations at theslaughterhouse for access to the software without installing anyapplication whatsoever.

The method can be used via a browser of any kind, independently from theoperating system used, and furthermore, a large part of thefunctionalities thereof can be carried out by a tablet or smartphone.

The method can also be used at different stunning steps to storeinformation of the same consignment of animals from different steps, forexample preceding steps, such as the loading at the breeding farm,transport times, transport temperatures, transport density and possiblythermography of the animals prior to entering the caging process,further expanding the possibilities for demonstrating the processcarried out in compliance with the regulations by veterinarians.

The software is also conveniently equipped with data analysisalgorithms, which allow detection of abnormal behavior, possible humanerrors or specific moments of the processing steps, and following thesedetections, send an informative communication to those in charge of theprocess.

Among the more interesting findings for diagnostic purposes are thefollowing: gas leaks, interruption of the start or completion of theprocedure, anomalies in the sensors, sudden changes of the parameters,anomalies in the distribution of the gas stratification gradient andrecognition of an external climate situation to choose the mostappropriate type of start-up sequence of the stunning system.

1. A method for monitoring the respect of well-being of live poultryintended for slaughter the method comprising: checking managingparameters and process parameters related to identification of poultryflocks coming from breeding farms, transporting the poultry flocks tothe slaughterhouse and handling the poultry flocks at theslaughterhouse, checking gas stunning parameters of poultry of thepoultry flocks prior to throat-cutting of the poultry, and videoshooting of the poultry's reactions during the stunning step, so as tovisually verify a degree of well-being of the poultry, the verifyingconsists of making computer records available wherein a single videofile corresponds to each poultry flock or group of the flocks in whichthe images of the visible reactions of the poultry are combined andsynchronized with said managing parameters and said process parameters.2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the combining andsynchronizing said images with said managing and process parameters iscarried out at a later time than the video shooting.
 3. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein said managing and process parametersinclude or are selected from flock identification, breeder's name,breeding site, truck carrying out transportation, animal breed, animalage, number of animals per cage, flock starting and ending time, actualnumber of animals, dead animals during transportation, actual number ofcages, actual flock weight.
 4. A method according to claim 1, whereinsaid stunning parameters of the poultry include setting values of thestunning system, readings of the gas concentrations in the differentareas of the stunning system, setting values of the mechanicalcomponents of the stunning system.
 5. A method according to claim 1wherein the video shooting is carried out by means of a fixed-positionvideo camera viewing several poultry flocks of the flocks in successionduring the same stunning step.
 6. A method according to claim 1 whereinthe video shooting is carried out by means of a movable video cameratracking a same poultry flock of the flocks during several stunningsteps.